About 2.35 million airline passengers are expected to pass through Los Angeles International Airport during the 15-day winter holiday travel period that began Friday, marking a dramatic 14 percent drop in travelers compared with last year, officials said.

In a prepared statement, airport officials said they were not surprised by the decline in passengers and flights this year because most airlines began slashing schedules during the fall.

LAX logged 171,300 fewer available round-trip, weekly airline seats for the month of December, an 11percent reduction from last year, according to figures provided by Atlanta-based Innovata, an airline scheduling data base.

The losses at LAX are greater this month compared with several other major coastal international gateway airports.

San Francisco International Airport is reporting 23,210 fewer round-trip weekly seats for December, a 2.6 percent decline from the same period last year.

New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport is reporting a reduction of 12,332 weekly round-trip seats this month compared with December 2007, amounting to a 1 percent drop.

Michael Molina, senior director of government affairs for LAX, did not return phone calls Friday seeking comment about the dramatic differences between LAX and the other airports.

Nationwide, about 43 million travelers are expected to take to the skies during the holiday season rush, a 9 percent drop from last year, according to the Air Transport Association of America, the trade group representing most major domestic air carriers.

Most flights are expected to be at full capacity, according to James May, president and CEO of the ATA.

Inclement weather should also be taken into account by holiday travelers.

Flights out of LAX were delayed up to nearly three hours Friday due to snow and icy conditions in Chicago.

As a result, passengers flying out of LAX were advised to arrive two hours before domestic flights and three hours prior to international flights.

The busiest days at the airport are expected to be Monday and Jan. 2, with peak travel periods running from 6 to

9 a.m., 11 to 2 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m.

Travelers should pack their gifts unwrapped in case the packages need to be inspected by security, according to the ATA.

To speed up service, use airline Web sites and airport kiosks to check in for flights, the airline agency said.